Old Town Hall, Wakefield
Wakefield Old Town Hall, also known as No. 5 Crown Court, is a historic building in the city centre of Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, in England. After operating as a town hall from 1861 to 1880, it served as an organ factory and then as commercial offices, before being adapted for residential use.
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50 m
Wakefield Mechanics' Institute
Wakefield Mechanics' Institute is a historic building in the city centre of Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, in England.
The building was constructed between 1820 and 1821, to serve as public rooms, with a music saloon on the first floor. The saloon opened in 1823, and the building soon also housed a subscription library, a newsroom, a savings bank, and a public dispensary, which was in the basement. The dispensary closed in 1832 following the death of the apothecary, who was living in the damp basement. Public baths were instead installed in the basement. From 1828, the saloon housed the town's annual charity ball, its most prominent social event.
In 1838, a corn exchange was opened on Westgate, and events were instead held in its assembly room. In 1842, the saloon became a mechanics' institute. In 1897, the National Federation of SubPostmasters was founded at a meeting at the institute. In 1910, the building was renamed as the Institute of Literature and Science, but it declined in popularity, and closed in 1935. It was taken over by Wakefield Council, which let rooms out to various organisations, while allowing the saloon to be used for events.
In 1955, the building became Wakefield Museum, which remained there until 2012. It was Grade II* listed in 1971.
The building is two storeys high and five bays wide. It is built of sandstone, with rustication on the ground floor; the roof is covered in Welsh slate. The upper floors feature Ionic order pilasters, sash windows, and above them a frieze in which is inscribed "MECHANICS' INSTITUTION". The rear elevation is stuccoed and includes windows to the basement. There are wrought iron railings, with some finials in the form of urns.
72 m
Wakefield Town Hall
Wakefield Town Hall is a municipal building in Wood Street in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. It remains a venue for weddings and civil partnerships but is no longer the headquarters of Wakefield Council which is now based at County Hall. The town hall is a Grade I listed building.
117 m
City of Wakefield
Wakefield, also known as the City of Wakefield, is a local government district with city status and a metropolitan district in West Yorkshire, England. Wakefield, the largest settlement, is the administrative centre of the district. The population of the City of Wakefield at the 2011 Census was 325,837.
The district includes the Five Towns of Castleford, Featherstone, Knottingley, Normanton and Pontefract. Other towns include Hemsworth, Horbury, Ossett, South Elmsall and South Kirkby (also forms the civil parish of South Kirkby and Moorthorpe). The city and district are governed by Wakefield Council from the County Hall. In 2010, Wakefield was named as the UK's third most musical city by PRS for Music.
133 m
Wakefield Court House
Wakefield Court House is a historic building in the city centre of Wakefield, a city in West Yorkshire, in England.
The building was constructed in 1810, to house the court of quarter sessions. It was extended between 1849 and 1850, and in the 1880s. It later served as the Crown Court and as a County Court, but closed in 1992. It was sold for redevelopment, but little work was undertaken, and the building fell into disrepair. It was purchased by Wakefield Council in 2018, with plans to convert it into a performance space, but in 2023 the council decided that the plan was unviable, and instead sold it to a private developer, Rushbond.
The building is in the Greek Revival style. It is built of sandstone, and is two storeys high. It has a large Doric order portico. There are single-storey side wings, and there is a two-storey section to the left, set further back.
The building has been Grade II* listed since 1971.
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